mspindler (301), Alta Loma, California, USA Feb 8, 2009 2006 bottle. Pours a dirty reddish brown with a small tan head. Aroma is lots of dark dried fruits, some cinnamon and spiciness, a little bit funky with hints of pennies. Flavor is lots of dark cooked fruits. Hints of caramel, banana, and clove. Very sweet but not cloying. It really melts in your mouth like candy. Very full bodied with medium carbonation. This is a real treat. MAP (1085), Lakewood, Ohio, USA Feb 6, 2009 Bottle purchased at From The Vine a couple months ago. [Still available at Rozi’s in Lakewood as of today.] Pour is a nice thick dark brown with little flakes of sediment floating around and all topped of by a nice thick creamy foam. The aroma is rich, full of dark fruits, fig, dried cherry and raisin. Notes of musty wood and yeast and a tiny note of alcohol. Flavor is pure Belgian love, rich warming spicy malt, sweet sugary notes. This is fantastic, pure and simple. Literally, this beer is pretty simple as far as the realm of Belgian strong’s, but it is fantastically good. As solid as it starts, the sweetness just builds as it goes. Fantastic. The palate is smooth and velvety at first, then a hint of buttery bitterness and a tingle of alcohol. Top notch stuff, certainly not a let down, and done exceedingly well. brewski519 (395), Morrisville, North Carolina, USA Feb 1, 2009 Pours a dark mahogany with a nice hefty tan head and lots of lacing. The aroma is heavy with dark fruits (raisin), caramel, malts and fig. The taste again dominated with the dark fruit and lots of sugar which provided the sweetness - definitely spice coming through as well. Nice carbonation. The is a big beer and very very tasty. A special treat for the hard to please beer fans.... FrankJohansen (3329), Sabro, Denmark Feb 1, 2009 Bottle (2006). Dark brown colour with a huge light brown head. Rich complex aroma and taste of malts, dark fruits, spicy and yeast. Long finish. bp (451), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Jan 31, 2009 Bottle (2007): pours a dark, murky brown with an airy tan head, aroma of dark fruits, yeasty, some spices, taste of dark fruits, yeast, spices, sweet but dry, plenty of carbonation, nice warming finish. edelbrauer (57), Rügen, Germany Jan 31, 2009 bottle 2007, dense but fast falling mocca head, intense aroma of fruit, highly complex, hard to single out a specific one other then raisins and damsons, flavor is likewise and a cascade of beautyful notes. Intense alcohol impression, but never burning! Smooth dry finish. Very refreshing and luxurus offering indeed. Lagunitasfan (432), San Diego, California, USA Jan 29, 2009 Exact same 2006 bottle as pictured. Thanks to TheRealBastard for the trade on this one. HUGE dense tan head. Solid like merenge (the egg stuff, not the dance). Beer is dark brown and no light shines through the tulip. Raisins, spices, grain, sweetness on the nose. Creamy malt flavor. Prunes/dark fruit come out in the mouth. Long lingering flavors morph to licorice, wine, dark grapes, and I agree about the cherries. For such a sweet dark beer, it’s very light in the mouth. Refreshing. What a remarkably flavorful and smooth offering. Wonderful. BeerBunker (607), Burbank, Illinois, USA Jan 29, 2009 bottle from 2007. Pours murky brown with a frothy brown head. Aroma is of hops, spice, raisins, and alcohol. The fruit overpowers everything else in the aroma. Taste is of hops, spice, raisins and other dark fruits, alcohol, and yeast. Has a nice backbone of malt and an underlying breadiness. Very malty mouthfeel, that goes down smooth. Delicious.
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